The Chinese Drama from the Earliest Times Until To-day: A Panoramic Study of the Art in China, Tracing its Origins and Describing its Actors (in both Male and Female roles): their Costumes and Make-up, Superstitions and Stage Slang: the Accompying Music and Musical Instruments: Concluding with Synopses of Thirty Chinese Plays (Signed)

First English edition, a signed, numbered edition of which this is No. 571. xxxii, 176pp, xxxiii-xl, plus 115 captioned stone lithograph colour plate illustrations and further illustrations in text. Signature of L C Arlington on front free endpaper. Quarter bound in linen over paper-covered boards. Decorated endpapers. Top edge gilt, all other edges deckled. Folio. . Boards worn, rubbed at edges, heavily rubbed and rounded at corners, two of which are cracked over, and spine ends, tape repair to rear joint. Ugly tape repair to front and rear hinges. Backstrip detached from text block, rear board loose. Previous owner’s name inked on front free endpaper. Some minor damage to fore edge of pages and some faint and occasional spotting on first and last few leaves. Old tape repair to two of the first few gutters but generally the text block is neat, clean and bright. Not a pretty copy but suitable for reading, reference or research and an ideal candidate for some restoration. The plates remain bright, fresh and undamaged. Lewis Charles Arlington was an Irish American who travelled to China in the late 1870s and worked first as a Customs Officer and later for the Chinese Postal Service. He wrote extensively on China – he is perhaps best remembered for In Search of Old Peking – and Chinese drama, translating many traditional Chinese plays into English.